Wasted Yesterdays and Tomorrow's Promises
by PEANUT v1.2
Summary: The best friend that was always by her side was about to become something more. SoKai oneshot with some Roxine in the mix. Fluff.


**Wasted Yesterdays and Tomorrow's Promises**

_The best friend that was always by Kairi's side was about to become something even more._

Times were hard. Some things were going well but other things weren't. Even Kairi, who always attempted to be optimistic, had a hard time finding a bright side in this situation. Not only were she and the mayor not getting along, but her best friend Naminé was also drifting away from her. It was understandable in some ways; she and Roxas were both doing really well in their relationship and wanted to spend all the time they could together before school picked up. Kairi was once like that with her boyfriend Sora, but she learned her lesson: she could never push away her friends for the sake of a boy. Now Naminé had to learn that same lesson her own way. All that Kairi could do was hope that her friend would come back to her in the end.

But today she wasn't going to focus on that. She would ignore the fear she held for her best friend and have a great birthday. She was eighteen today. Eighteen years old! It was already 6:32 PM and she hadn't done anything special yet. All that she had done was hang out with Selphie all afternoon to prepare for the date that she had with Sora tonight. And speaking of Sora…where was he? He was supposed to pick her up at 6:30 sharp!

Where was Sora? He was supposed to pick her up for their date at 6:30 sharp!

Kairi paced her living room, knowing that she was over reacting. Still though, they were going to Destiny Plaza! Who wouldn't be excited to go there? Just her and Sora. Naminé and Roxas weren't even coming along; they had said they had their own special plans for the night. Kairi had asked what they were going to do, but they never answered her. Kairi felt a sad pang hit her heart. She really was losing her best friend, and there was nothing she could do about it.

A knock on the door interrupted Kairi's flashback. She let out a squeal of excitement and ran to the door. Before opening, she calmed herself down by taking a few deep breaths. When she felt she looked normal enough, she opened the door. Sora was standing there with a box of chocolates.

"Hey Kairi." Sora looked so handsome! He had rented a tux for their date tonight. It was a classic, black tux. He looked so much older in decent clothes. His hair was a little bit shorter, but it was still as spiky as ever. Kairi smiled; she had always loved his spiky hair. But it was his eyes that she loved the most. Those bright blue eyes showed a lot of the maturity that took place since his last journey, but it also showed his passion and his love of life as well. Even if he was more grown up, he was still the Sora that she grew up to love. The Sora she would _always _love.

"Hey Sora," she responded, managing to speak despite her awe

"You look...really...beautiful." Sora said slowly, looking at her dress. Kairi smiled even wider. This was a dress that she and Selphie had bought off the internet. It had arrived two days ago, which was surprisingly fast. But she didn't mind. The gown hit her just right; not too tight, not too loose. It had spaghetti straps and a straight top. A ribbon was tied just a little bit above her waist; a bow in the back. The dress flowed to just an inch above the floor. And the color...the color was stunning. It was the same color blue as Kairi's eyes. It was clear that she was MEANT to have this dress.

"Thanks. You're looking pretty handsome yourself." Kairi blushed a little, eying him over again.

"Are you ready?" Sora held out a hand. Kairi gracefully put her hand in his.

"Yeah, let's go," she said with a small nod, squeezing his hand. Sora opened the door with his free hand and shut it after they were both out.

"Oh, crap." Before they had even gotten off the porch, Sora let go of Kairi's hand and began to dig in his pockets. "Did I...?" He sighed. "I forgot the reservation card at my house. We're going to have to stop by there to get them." He grimaced.

Kairi let out a laugh. "I should have known you'd do something like that, Sora. I probably should have kept them."

"You're probably right." The teenager showed a cheesy grin. "Let's hurry up and go get it."

The couple began walking towards his house, which was only about five minutes away. On the way, they didn't talk about too much; just small talk and jokes. _No kissing...yet,_ Kairi thought, smiling a little at the thought.

"We're here." Sora picked the key out of his pocket. "And at least I didn't forget my key." He smirked as he put the key in the door and opened it. The house was completely dark...it was almost scary. "Come on in." He encouraged. He walked straight through the house, not bothering to turn on the light.

"Sora? Where'd you go?" Kairi looked around only to see nothingness. "Why didn't you turn the lights on?"

Flash! The lights turned on.

"SURPRISE!" A group of voices came from the living room in front of Kairi. It was all her friends! Selphie, Tidus, Wakka, Riku, and a bunch of other friends from their school. And in the back...Naminé and Roxas? What were they all doing there? And why were they all dressed in formal clothing?

Sora came out from behind everyone and up to Kairi. "Happy eighteenth birthday!" He grinned. "All week, we've been planning this party to celebrate your birthday and what a great addition you are to our 'family'."

"Then...the date?" Kairi asked suspiciously, starting to catch on.

"I made it up. Those weren't real reservations, Wakka made up those cards I showed you the other day. Who knew that he could operate a computer?" Sora laughed.

"Hey! That's not cool!"

"You guys did all this for me?" Kairi looked over at Sora.

"You deserve it, Kairi!" one of her school friends called out from the back of the group. The rest said their agreement. Kairi felt herself blush, tears flowing to her eyes. She was the luckiest girl in the world. She looked down to her feet. Somebody came up and hugged her tightly. Naminé. And here Kairi had thought she was being ignored all week. But it had been the opposite.

"You know I would never be THAT boy crazy," the voice whispered in her ear. Naminé knew exactly what she was thinking. "We're best friends...forever. Okay?" Kairi nodded and let a tear slide down her cheek.

"Thank you," the redhead whispered back. Naminé pat her on the back and slowly let go. Kairi looked at everyone and saw that they were all staring at her. She chuckled awkwardly. "Okay then, let's get this party started!" The crowd went wild. Riku turned up some loud dance music and everyone began to dance. While they were all entertained, Kairi went to the kitchen, the most open place she could think of, to clean up her tear stained face. A group of students was already hanging out there. They waved, and Kairi waved back. She went over to the punch bowl; she was suddenly really thirsty. The girl grabbed a cup and began to drink.

"So, what do you think?" Kairi turned to her right and saw Selphie grinning at her. She wore a bright orange dress that went down to the floor. She didn't wait for Kairi to answer. "Do you know how hard it was for me to not tell you? It was like, OH MY GOSH; I can't believe I survived a week while keeping a secret! I wanted to blab it to you so many times but I knew that they boys would have killed me if I did, you know? So I just had to be quiet. I kept a secret for a whole week! I didn't even think that was possible!"

Kairi smiled. That was just like Selphie. "This whole thing is great. I can't believe the guys did this for me."

Selphie nodded and set down her drink. "You should thank Naminé; she's the one who did most of the work." Selphie let out a laugh. "You should have seen Roxas this week. Naminé kept on turning him down so she could work on your party. He was so sad, but Naminé didn't care at all. She put a lot of work into this party."

"Selphie!" A boy called from across the room.

"Gotta go!" Selphie threw her cup in the trash. "See you later." Selphie flipped her hair flirtatiously and ran towards the boy. "Tommy, wait up!"

Kairi smiled as she watched her friend run off. Selphie was always on the run, especially when boys were involved. Kairi turned to walk back to the living room when she ran into Riku.

"Hey Kairi," her friend greeted her.

"Hey Riku." Kairi leaned over and gave him a hug, her head naturally finding his shoulder as she hugged her favorite "big brother". "I haven't seen you much this past week."

"Yeah, I was busy with some stuff." Riku let go of her and smiled. But Kairi saw that there was a different gleam in his eye than usual.

"Is that all?" Kairi pressed, looking him in the eye.

Riku gave her a small smile. _I was right!_ "It was a girl, wasn't it?" Riku began to blush. Kairi laughed. "I expect all the details tomorrow, okay?" Kairi didn't want to ruin his fun tonight, since he was clearly embarrassed. She wouldn't want her friend to feel awkward.

"Alright." Riku agreed, breaking through her thoughts. "There's always tomorrow."

"Yeah." Kairi thought of something. They were both silent for a moment. "I'll see you later." Kairi pat him on the shoulder as she walked towards the front door. A gust of cold air greeted her. She sat down on Sora's porch swing, staring out at the ocean. The waves were crashing beautifully, as they always did. The sky shone with the glorious nighttime stars.

The door opened to her right; somebody came out and sat by her side. Sora. He was looking at her intently, his blue eyes shining with happiness.

"I think...I just realized something." Kairi looked down and put her hand on his while still gazing at the sea. She felt Sora rub her hand with his thumb as she continued. "Lately, I've been obsessed with losing what's important to me and letting it slip out of my grasp. But maybe I should just start living for today, without worrying about whatever tomorrow holds. If I keep worrying about all my tomorrows, then I'll have too many wasted yesterdays." She looked over at Sora. "What do you think?"

"I think you've been thinking about this a lot lately, haven't you?" He asked seriously.

Kairi nodded. "I have." She smiled. "Maybe I should stop thinking so much and just live." She side-hugged Sora and held on tight, leaning her head into his chest. She felt joy surge through her when he returned her embrace and stroked her hair. She snuggled closer, shivering because of the cold night air. Or maybe it was the joyful feeling inside her that was threatening to be released. It was probably both.

Sora noticed her shivering and let go of her while rising to his feet. "Do you want to go back inside for a little while?" Kairi nodded and held onto his hand again, letting him lead her inside. The party inside had really gotten lively; there wasn't a person in there that wasn't dancing. Wait? Was Riku dancing with a girl?

Sure enough, Riku was being goofy with a girl she knew from school; Claire Farron. She was always so serious at school, and so was Riku, but now they were both smiling widely. Kairi didn't know the girl that well, but it didn't matter. If she made Riku smile like that, then Kairi already loved her.

Sora extended his hand and bowed as a slow song came on. "May I have this dance?"

Kairi giggled and took his hand. Sora led her into the middle of the room and put his hand on her waist and held up her hand in his. He looked really happy. Kairi smiled and stared into his blue eyes as she wrapped her free arm behind his neck. She could never get tired of staring into those mysterious, gorgeous eyes.

The song played and the soft strumming of the guitar was supported by the lyrics that came on. Kairi knew the song by heart; it was one of the most romantic, cutest songs she knew. Did Sora pick out the music? She would have been majorly impressed if he did. He was such a goof sometimes, but in the past years, he proved to her that he was more than just a goofball and a sweetheart. He was a true hero, willing to give up anything and everything for the sake of what was right. He proved that on every single journey he went on and every day that he stayed on the Islands. His missions helped him mature very quickly, but they helped her do the same. They weren't the same people they were when they were 14 and longing to "escape" Destiny Islands.

Looking back on it now, Kairi couldn't believe how foolish they were. What would they have done once they left the Islands anyway? Nothing, because they probably wouldn't have survived! Fate was on their sides though; they lived through a lot of hardship and would continue to face hardship all their lives because of the Keyblade. …Strangely, she was okay with that. They were strong enough to face the storms. And they now knew that they played an important role in all the worlds. It felt good, knowing she had purpose to live.

But the Keyblade wasn't her only reason to live. Her friends were another reason—especially one in particular. Sora.

Not only was he her best friend, but he was also her savior. He was her prince charming and her goof. He was everything that she wanted and more. Sure, they had their differences-Kairi couldn't understand how Sora could enjoy wrestling Riku in the sand; it must have been a bromance thing, and Sora didn't understand her love of sappy movies. They fought about how much danger Sora could get into on his own and the trouble he caused by his inquisitive nature and how Kairi could be too worrying sometimes. But she worried because she loved him. She loved him with all that she had.

The song continued, not that Kairi was paying too much attention to it. She was paying attention to her partner. She leaned into Sora's chest, sighing. There was no feeling like this...this love. It felt like Kairi was worth something to Sora. Of course she had known that before, but feeling it was different. Sora hugged her tightly, not letting her go.

The music ended too soon. Sora smiled and let go, his eyes never unlocking from hers. They stood there for a minute, even after the next song had begun. Everyone around them was yelling and laughing, enjoying the upbeat music. It didn't matter though; they were in their own world. Nothing else mattered.

And then Sora walked away.

Kairi stood still and watched him weave his way out of the crowd. It was then that Kairi realized that she was still holding her breath. She let out her breath and took in another, her lungs feeling relieved. How could a boy cause her to go so crazy? It was as if she was under his spell. But she didn't mind; she loved him with all her heart. Did he feel the same?

The room around Kairi was loud, but all Kairi heard was silence as she turned around and left the room. She weaved her way through the crowd of people, who all seemed to be watching her as she tried to leave. "Excuse me," she mumbled politely as she went past a group of her school friends. They moved aside but still kept an eye on Kairi. She brought a hand to her face and found that it was wet with tears. No wonder everyone was staring at her. Kairi finally broke free of the group and went towards the bathroom.

_I look horrible, _she laughed, seeing her image in the mirror. Her makeup had begun to run from the tears. She grabbed some tissues and wiped the mascara off from underneath her eyes. She threw away the dirty tissue and grabbed a new one to wipe away the tears that had stained her cheeks. Kairi prayed that they would disappear. She looked in the mirror and saw that they had. Her eyes locked on her reflection. It was...different. It looked as if she had matured just because she was 18 now. Or maybe it was because she felt so different on the inside. Now...she was in love. She had no doubts about it. Even if he didn't love her back, she loved him with a fiery passion she had never felt before. Her face glowed with the radiance that the feeling produced. Her eyes shone with joy. She smiled at herself and went back out to the party, feeling as if she could fly. 

*…*…*…*…*…*

The rest of the night was the most fun Kairi had ever had. She danced with Selphie. She danced with Naminé. She danced some more with Sora. She had never smiled so much in one night. Or felt such joy when Sora took her hand. The way that he looked at her made her feel like she would melt into a puddle. His eyes always locked with hers and broke through her invisible wall, seeing right into her soul. But for once, she didn't mind. He wanted him to see what she was feeling.

She did notice something, looking into his eyes. He was overjoyed too. His laughter was really, his goofiness alive and active. But something else lingered behind his shining blue eyes. Kairi didn't know what it was, but he almost seemed anxious about something. Of course, nobody else could tell, but she could sense it as if she were in his mind. She didn't let it bother her though. _It's probably because he wants tonight to go well, _Kairi reasoned as the party continued through the night. He was having so much fun. Nothing could have been wrong.

And then, towards the end of the party, he walked up to her and took her hand.

"Would you like to go outside?" He asked, seeming a little more serious than he had been moments ago.

Kairi squeezed his hand and nodded. Sora silently led her outside and down the beach. The beach was completely dark except for the glow of the stars and moon. It was after 11 P.M. Kairi's heals dug into the soft sand. She let go of his hand and quickly slipped off her shoes, throwing them by Sora's porch. She walked faster to catch up with him again and her dress dragged a little in the sand. Kairi picked it up and went to Sora, who had stopped by a large rock that stuck out of the sand. Kairi dropped her shoes into the sand and looked into Sora's eyes. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." His eyes softened. He gently put a hand to her face and stroked it with his thumb. "I just wanted to be with you." Sora leaned down and kissed her on the forehead. Kairi's heart felt like it would burst. She smiled and leaned into his chest, grabbing him around his waist. A smile spread across her face when Sora's arms wrapped around her.

Kairi screamed when Sora suddenly took her off her feet and held her in his arms. "What're you doing!" Kairi laughed as she stared into those mischievous blue eyes. He grinned down at her, laughter in his eyes. "Sora, you're such a dork." They both started to laugh again.

After their laughter had settled down, Kairi looked into his face again and wrapped her arms around his neck. Sora smiled widely at her and gently shift her in his arms. He slowly lowered her to the ground, setting her gently in the soft sand. Then he sat down beside her. He wrapped his arm around her. Kairi sighed as she leaned against him, staring out at the dark sea. The full moon glowed in the sky, reflecting off the clear ocean water. Above them, the sky was lit with millions of stars.

A cool wind blew across the beach. When Kairi shivered, Sora held her tighter. Kairi smiled and leaned her head against his shoulder, her eyes filling with tears. This was what love was. Sora was always looking out for her, even in small cases like this. He would always be there for her, even if their destinies took them separate ways.

Destiny. She believed in it, but she hadn't put much faith in destiny lately. She had been too concerned with trying to plan her own life to make sure things went well. But now she realized what she had to do, and she did it: she let go. Everything depended on fate now.

The wind blew again, sending a lock of Kairi's red hair into her eyes. Sora gingerly tucked it behind her ear again. Kairi snuggled in closer to him and continued to look out at the ocean. The waves crashed quietly against the shoreline, creating a serene scene. There was nobody that Kairi would have rather been with. She looked up at Sora.

The boy was staring out at the sea, his blue eyes reflecting the moonlight. His face looked very serious, but calm at the same time. He didn't look like the same boy that he had been a few years ago. But then again, both of them had changed a lot recently. Sora seemed to have grown up, and Kairi became stronger and more courageous. They had both changed for the better.

They both sat there in silence for a long while, just staring out at the ocean. The moon began to move across the sky, showing the passing of time.

Sora squeezed her shoulder. "Let's go back up." Kairi nodded and watched Sora get up and dust the sand off his tux. He offered a hand to Kairi, which she gratefully took hold of. The sand hadn't stuck to her dress at all. It was official: that was the best dress EVER. Kairi giggled and looked into his eyes. He smiled back and held her hand tighter as they began to walk back to his house. Even though they were kind of far away, Kairi could see a few guests still lingered outside on the porch. They seemed to be watching them. No, they were probably watching the ocean. It was a beautiful night.

Sora suddenly let go of her hand and stopped walking. Kairi stopped too and turned around. "What's wrong?" She stared into his bright blue eyes. He stared back at her.

"Do you love me?" He asked quietly, not timid or nervous, just quiet.

"With all my heart." Kairi responded without delay.

"Then will you do something for me?" His face was unreadable.

"Sure, anything."

Sora got down on one knee and took a small white box out of his pocket. Kairi held her breath.

"Will you marry me?"

*…*…*…*…*

**Author's notes: Hi there everyone, hope you enjoyed this fluffy SoKai oneshot! This was actually the final chapter to one of my unpublished stories, but I did MANY, MANY revisions to turn it into a great oneshot. And I feel like it turned out good. If you feel the same, drop a review. While you're at it, you may as well check out my other stories too. ;) Alright now, everyone have a good day! **


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